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Platemail
/ | special = | item_defense = | item_resist = | item_movement = +1 +2 | item_enchantments = | artifact_defense = | artifact_resist = | artifact_movement = +1 +2 +3 +4 | artifact_enchantments = }} Platemail (or "Plate Mail") is a type of Magical Item which can be equipped on any Hero possessing an appropriate slot. The bonuses on the Platemail piece will enhance that Hero's performance, particularly his/her defensive properties and movement speed. As with any Magical Item, Platemail can have a total mix of up to 4 different bonuses and/or Item Powers. Platemail differs from other armor pieces thanks to a default bonus which is automatically given upon wearing the item - making it superior to all other armor types. On the other hand, it is much more expensive to make Platemail. As with any other items, Platemail can receive Item Powers that alter the Hero's properties - particularly giving additional immunities and/or better survivability. Description Platemail armor is much older than we tend to think. Although it is most famous as the preferred armor of the medieval knight, the Romans used plate armor over a thousand years before that. Platemail is made out of a single sheet of metal, carefully shaped to deflect incoming blows. It is very hard to pierce, and was eventually overcome only by crossbows and gunpowder. With a thick plate of metal between himself and the enemy, a Hero can feel quite secure. On the other hand, the amount of metal and the expert craftsmanship required to produce a single piece of Platemail armor makes this much more expensive than other armor types. Platemail is thus reserved for the bravest Heroes who are expected to see plenty of hand-to-hand combat. The Basic Item Platemail is one of many possible Magical Item types in Master of Magic. Magical Items can be Crafted by a wizard (tailored to the specific needs of a Hero under the wizard's employ), or found as rewards for defeating a suitably-dangerous Encounter (in which case the item already has a set of pre-defined bonuses). Any Platemail piece can be equipped on a Hero, if said Hero possesses this slot: : Armor Slot Most Heroes possess this slot - only specialized mages do not have it (they get an additional "Jewelry" slot instead). As long as a Platemail piece - any Platemail - is equipped on a Hero, that Hero receives a Defense bonus of by default, regardless of what other bonuses (including extra Defense bonuses) are imbued into it. This is a fairly large bonus, and is the best innate bonus given by any armor. Unlike the Shield's bonus, this bonus applies against all direct-damage attacks, and thus is just as useful in Melee as against other attack types. As a result, the most powerful Heroes should be equipped with Platemail if at all possible. During the late game, it is virtually senseless to create or buy any other kind of armor. Crafting Platemail It is possible to create a new Platemail piece (like any other Magical Item) using the Item Crafting process. This is initiated by casting either the Enchant Item spell or the Create Artifact spell, though there are differences in the potential strength of the new Platemail depending on which spell is chosen. During Item Crafting it is possible to select a Platemail as the type of Magical Item being created (the button is labeled "Plate"). This sets the default cost of casting the item-crafting spell to - the highest starting value of any item. Once Platemail is selected, the Item Crafting menu will show all bonuses and Item Powers that can be imbued into it. Click the desired options to add them to the weapon, or click a selected option to remove it. Regardless of which item-crafting spell was selected, Platemail can only take up to 4 different bonuses and/or Item Powers - just like any other item in the game. Each additional bonus will increases the value of the item by a set amount. The more powerful the bonus or enchantment, the more it raises the item's value (see list below). An item with higher value costs more to create, and thus may take more than one turn to complete. When Crafting, Platemail has some advantages and some disadvantages over other types of armor - the Shield and Chainmail. Platemail gives the best innate bonus of any armor, but this is not without a price: Platemail costs to create, compared to other armor. This means that, for identical , Chainmail will be cheaper unless you want a total of at least (where either costs ); thus, you should only create Platemail if you want or are trying to max out Enchant Item. Note that if the Hero is not expected to see much Melee combat, it is often quite feasible to create a Shield instead of a Platemail piece. The cost is much lower, and the only caveat is that the Shield's bonus does not apply against Melee Attacks. Naturally, during the late game, is much more plentiful and Platemail should be created every time if possible. Enchant Item The Enchant Item spell limits the strength of the bonuses that can be imbued into Platemail, and also the types of Item Powers that can be added to it. Available Bonuses Available Item Powers Create Artifact The Create Artifact spell allows Platemail to be imbued with much more powerful bonuses and/or Item Powers. Certain limitations still apply, based mainly on the type and number of Spellbooks you possess, and the amount of you wish to spend on creating the item. The Create Artifact spell is not inherently more expensive than Enchant Item, it only allows purchasing more expensive bonuses and Item Powers. It is possible to create the same (low-value) Platemail with both spells at no extra cost. Thus, if Create Artifact is available, there is no reason to use Enchant Item at all. Available Bonuses Available Item Powers Acquiring Pre-Defined Platemail The game data files contain 250 items that were designed by Simtex - each with its own pre-set name, bonuses and/or Item Powers. 24 of these items are Platemail pieces. There are three different ways by which you can acquire one of these pre-defined Platemails: * By winning a difficult Encounter. * By purchasing it from a traveling Item Merchant. * As result of a random Event called "The Gift". It is often better to acquire items in this way, as it means you do not need to spend any time or to create them. However, since the offered item is chosen at random, and since all 250 items have pre-defined bonuses and enchantments, you may or may not receive an item that's really suitable to your needs. Furthermore, many of the pre-defined items possess Item Powers that cannot legally be added to them via Item Crafting. Platemail as Treasure Whenever an Encounter zone of sufficient difficulty level is cleared of its initial defenders, the winning army may receive a Platemail piece (or any other Magical Item) as a reward. The game may select (at random) any item whose total value does not exceed the remaining treasure points given by the Encounter. Thus, the more difficult the Encounter, the more potential there is to receive a high-value item. If the selected item's value is significantly lower than the remaining treasure points, the game will try to select additional rewards (possibly more items). Platemail from Item Merchants Item Merchants have a certain chance to appear at the start of any overland turn. This chance is primarily influenced by the wizard's current score. When the roll dictates that a Merchant should appear, the game selects an item at random from the entire list of all 250 pre-set items. Item Merchants will only offer the selected item if the wizard has 3 times as much as the value of the item itself. Charismatic wizards need only 1.5 times as much as the item's value, since they pay half-price for any item. If you lack sufficient Gold at the start of the turn, the Item Merchant will simply not appear this turn. Platemail as Gifts Finally, an Event called "The Gift" may occur at random at the start of any overland turn, bestowing a Platemail piece (or any other Magical Item) to your wizard, for no cost whatsoever. This event can choose any of the 250 pre-defined items, including any of the 23 available Platemail pieces. List of Pre-Defined Platemail Below is a list of each Platemail armor present in the default game-data files. The ItemMake program which is supplied with the game allows users to alter the list of pre-set items at will: you can change any of these items (within the same constraints as those of a Create Artifact spell), add new ones, or remove existing ones from the list. Therefore the list below may or may not match your game-files. Category:Magical Items Category:Platemail